THE UK’s decision to break away from the European Union does not seem to have deterred those feisty Brits from spending their hard-earned money, particularly when it comes to their holidays. A new study has indicated that so far this year, Brits have spent £178 billion (€209.86 billion) on getaways at home and abroad.
The study was carried out by train ticket retailer Trainline. The company analysed the habits of German, British, Italian, and French travellers. Of these four countries, the UK took the least holidays, whereas Italians took the most. The average Brit took 3.1 holidays this year, whereas the French took 3.3, Germans took 3.8, and those fun-loving, jet-setting Italians finished way out in front, with the average person racking up 5.4 holidays each.
The most popular foreign destination for Brits was Spain. Nearly a third of the people surveyed indicated that they had taken a trip to Spain at some point in the last year. Sunny Spain was also the top pick for both Germans and the French, whereas Italians picked the UK as their holiday destination of choice.
Not all travellers chose to go abroad this year, with some opting for holidays closer to home. When it came to trips within the UK, London was the top choice. Rounding out the top 4 were Cornwall, Devon, and the Lake District.
The activities enjoyed by travellers tended to vary widely according to nationality, with Brits generally showing themselves to be less fond of nature than their German, French, and Italian counterparts. Only just over a quarter of Brits highlighted this as a priority, compared to nearly half of the respondents from the other three countries.
By and large, Brits generally indicated that that they preferred to spend their holidays relaxing on the beach (39 per cent) or sightseeing (36 per cent).
